Herman Cain needs to brush up on his geography

You would probably not want Herman Cain at the White House answering the 3am crisis call. His vague answers were not comforting. He supported an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear facilities if there was "a credible plan", but cautioned it would be difficult because it was a "mountainous region". As an observation it is is up there with Reagan saying, after a tour of Latin America, "They're all individual countries." True, but not insightful.

The closest he came to a gaffe was when he called on the US to "work with our allies in the region to put pressure [on] our allies and other nations to stop buying oil from Syria". The European Union, which imported 90% of Syria's oil, imposed sanctions in September.

Newt Gingrich has a plan for Iran

One of the main points of division between candidates on the night was Iran. Cain was the most outspoken in support of an attack. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich did not rule out support for an Israeli attack, but warned that an attack that left the regime in place was useless. He was more aggressive than the rest – Cain excepted – and proposed cutting off oil supplies, sabotaging its oil facilities and other covert actions that, as president, he would deny being involved in. An air strike would be "as a last recourse, and only as a step towards replacing the regime".

The biggest piece of hyperbole came from congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who accused Obama of changing "the course of history" by failing to confront Iran. Iran's development of its nuclear facilities continued throughout the entire eight years of the Bush administration, and Bush's policy of pursuing sanctions and diplomacy is not markedly different from that of the Obama administration. The Bush administration almost went a step further on the diplomatic front, proposing to re-open the US embassy in Tehran.

Perry and Bachmann get tough on Pakistan

It is illegal for foreign governments to interfere in a US domestic election, but the Pakistan government might consider covert donations to candidates other than Perry and Bachmann. Perry said he would end all US aid to Pakistan. Bachmann, a member of the House intelligence committee, did not agree, but more worrying for the Pakistan governnment was her harsh rhetoric: "It is one of the most violent, unstable nations there is."

Liberty trumps all else for Ron Paul

Ron Paul, the libertarian and maverick, frequently described by his supporters as being ignored by the media, produced a feisty performance. He described the Patriot Act as the Unpatriotic Act, and said that existing criminal law was sufficient to deal with terrorists. The concern about security risks undermining liberty, he said.